Briar and Sandry: The Dance
by Lissa May
Summary: A short but sweet BriarSandry fic, and more than a little corny. Written pre- The Will of The Empress. Pure fluff.


**Briar and Sandry: The Dance**

_Author's Introduction (added 3/25/07): _

First of all I would like to thank everyone who has read and reviewed this story over the years. This was my first official fanfic. I posted it as a one shot way back in 2001. In many ways it is still my favorite fanfic, of the one's I've written that is (many people have written stories much better than mine). Unfortunately, it was absolutely riddled with spelling and grammatical errors. Today when I read this story I see all the things that I could have done better and I have a great urge to re-write the whole thing. Despite this desire I haven't done that. I've received such positive feedback and I personally enjoy re-reading my old work. I want to keep this story as a sort of record of my writing, therefore I've made an effort to leave it basically the same while cleaning up a few of the grammatical and spelling errors.

I personally really dislike reading stories in which there are many spelling and grammar mistakes, thus I had to do something about my own work. Many sentences are still slightly awkward, and certainly not how I would write them today, however I believe I've caught most of the blatant spelling and grammar problems. I'm proud of this story for what it is, which is the literary efforts of a young girl. I hope that as such those who have read this before and new readers alike, will also gain some pleasure from a heartwarming, if slightly over the top, romance. Thanks once again to all the original readers who have this story a chance despite the rough edges. Please enjoy!

P.S. This is obviously written before _Will of the Empress _and so I suppose at this point it could be considered AU but pay that no mind.

_Original Author's Note (1):_ I wrote this very quickly so it is not very good but I really wanted to write one of these I just don't have a lot of time. I apologize for the bad quality of this Story. I was aiming for short but sweet did I hit my mark? Please review.

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing except for the plot, which has been done a thousand times over. All the charters and settings belong to Tamora pierce. Don't sue me I have no money.

**The Dance**

Briar felt uncomfortable in the fancy clothes he was wearing, although he looked dashing. The young man of sixteen wore black dress pants, a long sleeved white silk dress shirt, and shoes that were too tight. His suit jacket was draped over a chair next to him. It was a sweltering summer day and he had opened the first few buttons of his shirt. He was at one of the many festivals the royal court held in the summer, where it seemed he would forever feel out of place.

Briar and his three friends Sandry, Tris, and Daja had been reunited now for a year. Briar loved being back with his friends again. Even though they were only fifteen they had all gotten jobs as soon as they returned. Sandry, of course was helping her uncle. Daja had been offered a position as apprentice to the palace smith. This was a very high position because when the head smith stepped down Daja would have that position and be as good as a noble. Tris was a weather mage for the palace, also as good as a noble. Briar was the head gardener, technically as good as a noble, but he never felt that good. He was happy he got to see his friends though.

They all lived in the palace and spent vacations, and sometimes weekends, at Discipline. All their students were doing well and Briar found he liked being a teacher. Still he never felt right in the palace, or attending any of these stupid royal balls they held. Then he saw her and was abruptly reminded of why he had accepted the position at the palace. He had taken the job at the palace to be closer to her, her blue eyes sparkled like sapphires, her honey brown hair had more sun streaks than usual because she had been in the garden a lot, but it made her look even more pretty. Her shapely but petite frame was covered with a violet dress that went well with her skin tone and made her look dazzling. Her name was Sandry.

After returning from his trip Briar was even closer to his friends than before. Tris was like his twin sister, and Daja was his best friend, but Sandry was everything. The first time he saw her after his return he remembered thinking how beautiful she was, he had tried to shake it off, he had tried to remember she was just a friend. She was always there to talk to, give advice, make him laugh, a shoulder to cry on, whatever he needed. She was better than a best friend, and he could never forget how beautiful she was. True, they had their disagreements and they had their fights but they were always resolved quickly and instead of drawing them apart these tiffs pulled them closer together. He had become the head gardener so he could be near her, even if he was only a friend to her he would always be near her. He watched her make her way through the crowd toward him. His heart beat faster, he had no right to be here in her beautiful world of gold and power, he had no right to love her the way he did. He did not have the right but he did anyway.

* * *

Sandry searched the crowded ballroom, many stuffy noble boys and men asked her to dance at every ball, but she was only looking for one young man. Ever since her friends had returned they were all very close but she had become particularly close to Briar. She had been ecstatic when he had taken the job at the palace. She spent a lot of time with him in the garden. She knew he didn't like her as any more than a friend but still she couldn't help her need to stay near him. He was always there for her, when she had a bad dream or when she missed her parents he comforted her, when she was angry at Pasco he calmed her, when she was happy he celebrated with her. Their fights drew them closer together and there time together closer still. She only wished he would finish a dance with her. She knew he hated the royal balls, and that he felt out of place. They had danced a few times but Briar was self-conscience, and that made her nervous. The other males in the room glared daggers at him, she knew, he could feel their eyes on him. She saw him and made her way toward him with a forlorn sigh.

* * *

Briar looked at her as she walked up to him, this was it. He decided he had to tell her even if it ruined their friendship. He had to let her know how he felt, and he didn't care what anyone else thought. She smiled tentatively up at him, and a new song started. "Would you like to dance?" he asked, his voice barley more than a whisper. She was so shocked all she could do was nod as he led her out to the dance floor. He held her not at arms length but still an appropriate distance away. They swayed to the music but did not speak, each lost in their own thoughts. Briar studied her face trying to find the best way to tell her, and the best time to say it. 

He was so busy thinking of the beauty before him he did not feel the noble's eyes, he did not hear the gossips whisper. When one particularly bold man asked if he could cut in with out thinking Briar simply answered no and twirled Sandry away, pulling her a bit closer in a protective reaction. Taking this as a sign of encouragement Sandry stepped still closer and laid her head on his shoulder. When he did not pull away she closed her eyes and relaxed in his grip.

Briar was so shocked when she put her head on his shoulder that he forgot everything except the feel of her in his arms and the smell of her hair. Finally, Sandry thought with a smile, we're going to finish a dance. Then with a content sigh she thought, I love him so much, I have to tell him. "Briar", she murmured quietly.

"Yes?" he answered just as quietly.

"I love you," she whispered so no one else could hear. He was sure he'd heard her wrong, then she drew back to look in his eyes and he knew he had heard her right. "I love you too," he whispered back.

As they looked into each other's eyes they knew they were no longer friends, they knew they did not love each other as friends, they knew they were much more than that. They knew that they would always be together no matter what anyone else thought or did their love would last and no one could tear them apart. They danced into the night clutched in each other's embrace, hearing only the sweet nothings and feeling only each other's love.

_Original Author's Note (2) : _It's very cheesy but it was supposed to be so I don't care. I guess it wasn't all that short but it's the shortest thing I've ever written, and I hope it was sweet. Please review and tell me what you thought of it.


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